The German Corner - Does The Conga.... Lets celebrate in Cuba

Congri (Cuban rice with red beans)   

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 inch cube of salt pork

3 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

1/4 green pepper

4 oz. of tomato sauce

1 cup long grain white rice

1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans (see image below)

1 1/2 cups of water

1 tbsp. salt

In blender or food processor, purée onion and green pepper together (add a little water if needed). Set aside.

In Dutch oven heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the salt pork and garlic cloves. Sauté until browned. Discard the garlic.

Add the onion/pepper mixture to the oil, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes until the sauce is a deep, rich red. This mixture is called sofrito.

Stir in the rice, mixing it well. Add the beans, water and salt and stir. Cook on high heat, uncovered until water begins to boil. Adjust heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes until rice is tender.

Serves 4-6

Cuban Stuffed Avocados recipe   

from All About Cuban Cooking, courtesy of Josefina Alvarez

(posted with author's permission, repost with credit but do not reprint)

1 lb. lobster meat, cooked

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. salt

4 small avocados

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. black pepper

8 green olives

4 red pimientos (canned)

Cut avocados in half and peel them carefully.  Mix vinegar, oil, paprika, salt and pepper.  Marinate the avocados in the mix; place in the refrigerator.  Cut lobster in small cubes, mix well with mayonnaise, fill avocado halves, decorate with olives and pimentos.  Serve cold over lettuce leaves.

serves 8

Cuban Chilled Black Olive Soup recipe
courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

1 cup pitted ripe olives;
-preferably imported brine
3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup minced onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
1 cup light cream
1 tsp thick bottled steak sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry

Instructions

Either slice the olives wafer-thin or chop them into bits in a food processor. Place chicken stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add onions and garlic. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, strain out onion and garlic bits and discard (or save to add the pot when making a batch of stock). Return soup to the pan and add olives. Beat egg in a bowl and slowly add a cup of hot soup while continuing to beat, and taking care not to curdle the egg. Pour soup/egg mixture into the soup. Add light cream, steak sauce and sherry. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve chilled in chilled soup bowls.
 

Sopa de Crema de Platano con Cilantro receta
(Creamed Plantain Soup with Cilantro recipe)

3 large plantains
juice from 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup canned evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk (can use from can)
1/3 cup cilantro
1 tsp grated orange peel
3 tablespoons lime juice

Peel plantains and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a bowl or shallow dish and splash with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Heat butter in a heavy saucepan on medium heat, adding onion and garlic. Saute about 6-8 minutes or until onion is tender.

Add plantains and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add salt and pepper. Simmer about 25-30 minutes until plantains are soft.

Place mixture in blender and puree until mixture is not quite fine (overblending will ruin it). Return to saucepan and add evaporated milk and coconut milk. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processer, blend cilantro, garlic, orange peel and lime juice. After blending, swirl this mixture into the soup and serve.

Serves 5-6
 

Sailor Soup recipe
from All About Cuban Cooking, courtesy of Josefina Alvarez

(posted with author's permission, repost with credit but do not reprint)

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 small bell pepper, cut in strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb red snapper
3 Tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp curry
1 lb swordfish
1 tsp paprika or saffron
1 bayleaf
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tsp dry cooking wine
1 tsp salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 cups water
1 lb potatoes, cut as for gratin
* pinch of parsley

Heat oil and fry garlic until golden; remove garlic. Add onion, bell pepper and shrimp. Fry for 3 minutes. Cut fish into big chunks. Pour water in a large pot and add all other ingredients. Toast saffron slightly and dissolve in a small amount of the liquid, add to pot. Cook for about 25 minutes and add cooking wine. Cook for additional 5 minutes; this soup is served with french bread cut in triangles and fried in hot oil, preferably olive oil. This can also be done by brushing with olive oil and broiling.

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Arroz Moro (white rice with Cuban black beans)

recipe courtesy of Andy Natal from Torrance, California

1 can of black beans
2-3 cups of already cooked white rice
1/3 cup of sofrito casero (Blend onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro til puree)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon of oregano and a drizzle of apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 cup of beer or broth
1/2 can tomato sauce

In a pot, add olive oil and sautee garlic and sofrito for a minute. Add salt, pepper, cumin and oregano to sofrito and mix. Add beans and mix well. Add tomato sauce and beer or broth and mix.

After 5 minutes, add apple cider vinegar and stir.  Add 2-3 cups of already cooked white rice (at room temperature) and mix well.  Cook until all is absorbed (about 10-15 minutes).

Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

[Editor's Note: Andy submitted the excellent  Chicken in Black Bean Sauce recipe a while back, here's a variation on the classic black beans and rice]

Black beans and rice cooked together with spices are one of the best memories that I had living in Miami during Christmas time. - Andy

Sofrito recipe

courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

Sofrito is the base of many typically Cuban recipes. My mom used to chop up all the ingredients (except bay leaf) in a blender and store in a jar with a drizzle of olive oil on top. Stored in refrigerator, it can last about a week. She would spoon out amounts needed for each recipe, add the bay leaf and then sauté and simmer as directed. The secret to a good sofrito is to let it simmer a while so all the tastes meld.

21 cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
8 to 10 garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
touch of ground cumin
touch of dried oregano
3/4 cup Sherry, or to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste (optional)

Sautee tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin and oregano in oil slowly until all vegetables are limp. Add Sherry and let simmer. If you add the salt, taste beforehand as you might not need it at all.

Cuban Ropa Vieja recipe

2 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut in strips
5 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
6 ounces sofrito sauce

Heat 3 tbsp. oil in skillet on medium, brown meat on all sides.  Remove from skillet, add remaining oil to skillet, stir in garlic, onion and green pepper and cook until translucent.   Stir in black pepper, browned meat, tomato sauce, water and sofrito.  Simmer until meat is tender and shreds easily, about 1 hour.  Serve on top of rice.

Serves 6

Pulpeta (Cuban Meat Loaf recipe)  

3/4 lb. ground beef

1/4 lb. cooked ham (ground)

4 eggs

3 boiled eggs

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 3/4 cups cracker meal

20 olives w/ pimiento

2 tbsp olive oil

Mix the beef and ham together and add two beaten eggs, salt pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic and onion.  Mix well, add enough cracker meal to make the meat hold its shape (3/4 a cup or so), and form the mixture into a large loaf.

Open the loaf by cutting it across.  Place the three hard boiled eggs down the center and line the olives on both sides of them.  Close the loaf tightly, roll the loaf in the other two beaten eggs and then the cracker meal three times until all the cracker meal has been used.  In a large skillet, brown the loaf in the heated oil.  Its suggested that you try to brown the ends of the loaf first.

After the loaf is browned, begin prepared the salsa (sauce).  Pour the sauce over the loaf and simmer for about 45 minutes, turning it once or twice (or bake in an oven at 350 degrees).  After the loaf is well done, remove from the heat and allow to cool before slicing.

To make the sauce for the meat loaf, combine:

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp ground bay leaves

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1/2 cup white wine

mix well

meat loaf serves 4-6

 Here is a link to the review I did of Twinkle's Salad

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/t/725761.aspx

hi everybody - i had problems with the internet, then i had a stomach bug and so i wasn't really online...

great to see so many recipes!! thank you berny and picasso!!

char it is good to see you too - oh and do they ever love their rum - that is for sure.lol

going to peek in later - still not bakc to normal - have a nice day - twinkle

Sorry to hear that you were sick Alissa.  Those stomach bugs are the worst.  Whatever happened to the 24 hour flu?  They rarely seem to only last that long anymore. 

If we phoned in sick after a week end my former boss always asked us if we had the 26oz flu. lol

Hi All!

Where is everyone?  Sorry to hear you are not feeling well Allissa.

I have been busy lately, but I will post a few more recipes.

Almond Cigar

recipe courtesy of Havana Club